Chapter 3: Sleeping beauty

They remained stunned, motionless for a while. What did a little girl do there? Inside a container in Long Beach harbor? She was not much more than 5 years old. So small. So innocent. And her face told already so much.

Hondo walked slowly until he was next to Chris and Street. The little girl was enrolled around Chris, not letting go of her.

"Chris, Street, you stay with her. The others, let's go inside!" He told softly, afraid of scaring more the child. He showed his teammates the container, whose doors were wide open.

Deac remained some minutes next to Chris and Street. Chris was holding the kid in the arms while Street was holding the little hand in his.

"If you need anything, tell me."

"Thanks Deac." Chris gave him a faint smile. "For the moment, we're gonna try to see her face." She laughed discreetly.

"Ah I almost see an eye here!" Street told from her side, clowning around to entertain the little girl.

Deac smiled at the scene and joined the others who were still inside the container.

"What do we get?" Deac remained some more minutes next to Chris and Street. Chris was holding the kid in the arms while Street was holding one of her little hand in his.

"If you need anything, tell me."

"Thanks Deac." Chris gave him a faint smile. "For the moment, we're gonna try to see her face." She laughed discreetly.

"Ah I almost see an eye here!" Street told from her side, clowning around to entertain the little girl.

Deac smiled at the scene and joined the others who were still inside the container.

"What do we get?"

"For the moment nothing… Except it stinks. It's as she's been living here for a moment." Hondo told him. "What about the two there?" He pointed Chris and Street seated on a cinder block.

"They seem to handle the situation and for an unknown reason, the little doesn't want to let go of Chris, like she was stuck to her. And she's holding Street's hand tightly, must comfort her. Will go check on them once we're done here."

Hondo nodded at Deac's words. The man was wise and knew a lot about kids. Matter of experience. After having four of his own, he knew some tricks.

Deac, Tan, Luca and Hondo kept searching for the least clues they could find. Around them, only blankets, some toys and a plush. Old food and trash all over. The little girl was definitively living here.

As they got out of the container, Hicks waved at them. They understood right away they wanted to talk with them. Chris and Street were still with the little girl, seated on the cinder block on the side. They were not going anywhere any time soon.

"What's up here?" Hicks asked 20-Squad as he came closer to them.

"Chris and Street found a little girl inside the container. She was the one making the noise they heard earlier." Hondo announced.

"A little girl?!" Hicks had troubles processing what he had just heard.

"It's like she was living here, Commander…" Deac completed, abashed.

"Blankets, food, toys, all over here. Kind of awful, Commander…" Luca said, lowering his gaze. Hicks could hear the emotions just by listening to the tone of his voice.

"Who can do this to a kid?!" Hicks was pissed by the development of the case.

"What about now?" Tan asked.

"Guess we're all gonna go back to HQ and call the social services for the girl…" Hicks admitted, a little defeated. "Dixon gave me all the video footage of the place, made them sent to HQ… Guess IT has already started working on it right now… Maybe they'd be able to give us some new leads…"

He gave a look towards Chris and Street who hadn't moved from a single inch.

"Take care of them, Commander." Hondo told him, showing his two teammates with a chin move. "Meet at HQ!"

Hicks left to his car. Hondo remained with his team and took a minute to think about the next moves.

"Anything on your mind, boss?" Luca asked, a little worried.

"Just thinking, Luca." He turned towards Chris and Street who were still taking care of the kid. "Go to Black Betty and get ready to go back to HQ, I take care of these two."

He left the guys who immediately walked to Black Betty to get things ready. He joined Chris and Street who were still seated on the cinder block.

"Hey kids, anything new?"

They jumped in surprise as they heard Hondo's voice.

"Oh Boss, didn't see you coming!" Street answered in a hurry. "Yeah, yeah, it's ok."

"It seems as she's fallen asleep."

"Can confirm that! Her little eyes are really closed." Street pushed the hair of the little girl on the side to check. He was right she was deeply asleep. He nodded at Chris and Hondo.

Hondo looked at them for a while. "Better if you come back in a car, no? Better not move the kid, she seems well with you, Chris."

"No, it's ok. Just tell Luca to drive carefully and it should be ok."

Chris got up on her feet, still carrying the little girl. She started to follow Hondo when she saw Street sneak around and disappear inside the container.

"Hondo, wait! Street is gone."

"What? But when?"

"Just at the moment, I was following you and I saw him run to the container." She looked at him, puzzled.

Hondo looked around, looking for Street when he saw him go out of the container, stuff in his hands. He ran to them, a goofy smile on his face. His hands up, showing them a plush, a blanket and a tiny giraffe toy.

"Sorry, we have to get her some familiar stuff for when she wakes up!"

Chris grinned at him. It was sweet from him to have thought of this. Of course, this little one would need something familiar when she woke up, in an unknown place, full of growing ups, away from anything she knew. Even if this place was terrible. She wasn't aware of this. It was what she must have closer to a home.

Hondo smiled at Street's attention nodded at him in agreement. He was a nice move from him.

"Now you can go back to HQ!"

[…]

The drive back to HQ was peaceful. None of the guys dared to talk, afraid to wake up the little girl they had just rescued. Chris smiled looking at those big fearless guys, afraid of doing the least noise that they could disturb the sleep of a child. And she was stirred by the emotions this little girl gave to her at this moment. Cuddled against her. Her arms around her neck. Feeling her small heart beating so hard against her chest.

Street was seated next to her, maybe a little too close. Which added to her confusion. She could feel his leg against hers and she was felling awkward. All this closeness. Feeling his warmth. His presence. She would have loved for this to continue longer but she also knew that once they arrived at SWAT she would have to let it go because their situation was impossible.

"Ok, Chris?" Deac asked.

"Yes. My arms are just a little dizzy but it's ok."

"You want us to help you?" Tan offered from the front seat.

"Nice of you, Tan but I doubt the little lady will let go of Chris right now. She's literally glued to her!" Street joked from behind. She gave him a faint smile.

"And we're here! Time to let Black Betty get some sleep. My baby needs some time off to catch her breath! Like Sleepy Beauty."

He kissed the wheel before getting off the truck, making the others laughed. Luca's love for Black Betty knew no limit. Hondo and Deac helped Chris to get off while Tan and Street got all the stuff on the ground.

Once inside, Hicks proposed to lie the girl down in the sofa he had in his office. He called the social services as soon as he arrived at HQ but was still waiting for their answer. Chris placed the kid on the sofa and used the blanket there to cover her.

"Officer Banks will stay with the little girl, time for the social worker to come."

"How much time?"

"Hours… Don't know exactly how. They haven't called back yet."

Chris gave him her concerned look. "What if they don't come today? Will she remain here alone and afraid? Nothing against you, Officer Banks. I'm just concerned this little girl remains in a place she doesn't know for quite a long time, with faces she doesn't recognize."

Hicks tapped on Chris's shoulders. "I let you know as soon as I know more about them."

Chris nodded at him, still concerned at what was gonna to happen.

"Is everything ok?" Street popped from behind, coming out of Hicks's office.

"What do you think?" She answered sharply. She didn't want to but it slipped out of her mouth, without any control over it. "Sorry…"

"Don't worry."

"It's just that it bothers me no one is taking care of this poor little girl. Life hasn't been so unfair and hard on her already?"

She saw him lowering his head. "Sorry, didn't want to remind you of bad memories… I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be sorry, Chris. You're right, this little girl's been through hell and now he social services are not here… Probably because there's so many other children to help…. The system is broken, Chris. I know what I'm talking about… I can stay with the girl while you go with the team in control room and I'll tell you if there's anything new and…"

She cut him. "You don't have to do this, Street. You deserve to work on the case. As much as I do. We heard this noise together and …"

"And if it makes you peaceful I stay with the girl, I will, Chris."

She retrained herself from brushing his hand. Despite she would have liked it so bad. "Thanks Street… Really. But I think Banks will do a great job and I gave him my number to call any time, just in case. But I appreciate the gesture. Truly? Means a lot…"

She gave him one of her long looks, like she was hypnotized. He smiled like a goofy idiot. But he liked feeling this way.

"Guess it's time to go to the control room, then." He put an end to their moment, already knowing there'll be other ones later.

She nodded in agreement, grinning at him. "Just two seconds!"

He ran in Hicks's office to give Banks the blanket, plush toy and giraffe toy he picked in the container. He got out of the room and they both hurried to join the rest of the team in the control room. They were all around the central table with screens. Chris and Street placed among their teammates.

Luca was talking about Rodriguez and his traffic. Deac, Hondo and he had to read the files Hicks got from Dixon. At least some of them, the one about the diversity of his activities for instance. Tan and Street focused on the containers emplacement at Long Beach harbor. Hour of research were ahead of them.

"The man owns half of the containers on the South part of the harbor. Pretty clever, it's closer from the exit!" Tan concluded about two hours later.

"Easy to receive and send merchandise this way. The man has so many on-going traffics. He really needs to be close from the exit!" Deac continued.

"And what about the little girl?" Hondo asked.

"Nothing in the files and on the videos. Seems she was already in the container when she arrived in LA. There's a man running around the place about every two days. He must come to drop food and some items for the girl." Street answered, pointed at the screen where the video was playing.

"It's awful…" Luca said in a low voice.

Street turned to Chris who was standing right next to him and looked at her. She was pale. He knew she was bad but he didn't know what to do. It was not an option to grab her hand to let her know he was here, even less to hug her. So he just stared at her, loudly, as if she was the only person in the room. And he was relieved when she looked at him, slightly smiling.

"Any info about the girl, Chris?" Hondo eventually turned towards her.

She took a deep breath. Street could see she was not well. "Still nothing boss, she's sleeping. Banks will call me as soon as she wakes up. She didn't say a word earlier…"

"She just looked so scared and at the same time, relieved Chris got her out of the container…" Street continued.

"That we got her out of the container. Didn't do all by myself. You had my back, back there." She gave him a slight smile. "Boss, when we found her she looked so traumatized and pitiful and…" She stopped all of a sudden.

"Boss, it was a mess inside… And this little girl in the middle of all this litter… Definition of a nightmare…"

Hondo nodded at Street and Chris, remembering the scene he discovered a few minutes later. Chris's phone rang, making everyone jumped.

"It's Banks. I have to…"

Chris left the room in a hurry, even before hanging up. The little girl was probably awake. They all looked at her walking out quickly with a worried look.

"Now guys, focus on the videos and files again while Chris is taking care of the kid."

They all nodded and went back to work without asking a question. If there's other people, other kids in those boxes, they needed to know it and quickly.

"Hey Street!" Street turned and came closer to Hondo as he made him sign to come to him.

"I want you to have a look over Chris right now, she doesn't seem well and she needs a friend to be there for her."

"Ok, ok, but what about Tan and the search on the containers and…"

"Don't worry about this, kid!"

Street hurried to get out of the room and meet Chris in Hicks's office. Because he knew it was the place she ran to earlier.